try not to look away
ByMaria LPublished about 12 hours ago•4 min read
If you’re squeamish, this will be a hard one for you to sit through. Going into this movie, I was really hoping they wouldn’t hold back on the body horror, as Matt Hagen’s story can only be told properly through graphic, visceral imagery. Luckily, the filmmakers delivered exactly what I was hoping for.
Clayface was always going to be an ambitious project. Despite being a well-known character in the DC Comics, this is the first time he’s been brought to life in a live-action movie, and instead of following the usual superhero formula, the film tells the origin story of a villain. The third movie in the DC Universe, Clayfacehas been out for less than a week, but it’s already tracking really well at the box office, with both die-hard fans and general audiences showing it plenty of love.
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, let me break it down for you: Matt Hagen is our main character, played (quite brilliantly) by Tom Rhys Harries, a famous actor who’s just been nominated for an Oscar. To celebrate the nomination, he spends the night with an actress, despite knowing that she’s dating Markos Szabo, a crime lord. The following morning, Szabo and his henchmen attack Matt, disfiguring him by slashing his face with a knife. From there, his entire life begins to fall apart. Szabo walks away free due to a lack of evidence, the actress accuses Matt of drugging her, and his agent drops him, knowing that his disfigurement will make it impossible to book him any roles. At the end of his rope, Matt learns of a doctor named Caitlyn Corr, who’s developing a nanite treatment capable of rapidly healing damaged tissue and skin. With little left to lose, he volunteers for human trials.
And thus, Matt Hagen begins his transformation into Clayface.
The movie’s few shortcomings are far outweighed by its positives.
There’s so much to set up in the first act that the first forty minutes of the movie can feel a bit rushed. In all truthfulness, the movie probably could’ve benefited from an extra ten to fifteen minutes to let things breathe and give the characters a bit more depth before getting into the nitty-gritty of things. Nevertheless, there’s enough information and exposition to keep us engaged, and by the time the second act kicks in and Matt starts turning into Clayface, we’re just along for the ride. The dialogue is also nothing to write home about, and while the script won’t be winning any awards anytime soon, the movie more than makes up for it in other areas.
Tom Rhys Harries is great in the role. Matt Hagen is a complicated character to take on. He’s a guy who gets attacked, mutilated and then betrayed by almost everyone in his life, but he’s not necessarily a good guy himself. He sleeps with someone despite knowing she’s already in a relationship, then later tries to break up an engaged couple to pursue the woman himself. And even though what happens to him is absolutely horrific, it doesn’t justify what he ends up doing in return. He hurts innocent people and even murders his childhood friend and former agent for betraying him. Tom Rhys Harries manages to walk that fine line between a somewhat justified anti-hero and a straight-up villain.
Even though I mentioned that the script won’t win any awards, I fully expect the make-up department to receive some recognition during award season, with at least a few nominations. They had one of the most important jobs in the movie, as Clayface’sentire appeal hinges on a man whose body has a clay-like appearance and shapeshifting abilities. And boy, did they deliver. I’m no stranger to body horror and graphic imagery, but even I found myself having to squint during certain scenes, as the sheer level of detail made some of the more gruesome moments difficult to look at.
The third act, and specifically the club scene, is by far the film’s highlight. The special and practical effects, the tension, the acting, and even, surprisingly, the choreography are all top-tier in that scene, and it genuinely feels like everything the movie has been building towards finally comes together in one place. Tom Rhys Harries isn’t the only one who gets to shine in that scene, as Matt shapeshifts into several different people, including one of Szabo’s henchmen, Cadillac Sal. Played brilliantly by Corey Johnson, he delivers a short but fantastic comedic performance that adds a bit of unexpected humour to the scene.
Clayfacestands on its own as a movie and doesn’t feel like it’s being set up as part of a larger franchise, but the ending leaves the door open for the character to return, and we can be pretty certain we’ll see him again in future movies, whether in his own or someone else’s. But regardless of what comes next for Matt Hagen, this is a story that knows exactly what it wants to be, and it delivers on that promise.
“It’s just skin, a very small part of who we are.”
pop culturereviewsuperheroesentertainmentcomicsmovie
